


Not About Angels

by Savage35



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode: s02e14 Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Hills Have Eyes, F/M, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, Underage Sex, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2019-10-10 07:27:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17421617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Savage35/pseuds/Savage35
Summary: The World keeps spinning but not his and not hers. Oh yes she is drowning, but not alone. She is drowning with him. In this moment they exist together,and it's just them. What hurts the most is that she realizes it was always just them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Finally mustered the courage to post my First Fiction ever. Takes place somewhere after The Hills have Eyes lake-house episode. I wrote this prologue over a year ago before the start of season 2 and kept editing it as season 2 progressed to fit the narrative because I have slight OCD with following story lines but I think everyone can agree Riverdale has trouble keeping up with its own story lines at times. This story was me taking out frustrations with all the missteps I felt season 2 took. So I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing this.

Broken.  
  
Absolutely Broken that was the only word she has to describe how she felt as she met Jughead’s dark gaze on the dark street.  
  
Elm Street. The stuff of nightmares.  
  
She felt a chill run down her spine, she felt heart break, she felt like she was dying inside. Maybe the latter wasn’t true at all, Maybe she had already been dead inside. How long had that been true? It felt like forever.  
  
She stood on one side of the street, _Archie’s side_ , as Jughead stood on the other. _Betty’s side_ , her mind produces. He’s on that annoyingly sexy bike of his a menacing scowl plain on his pale face. The moonlight reflects off his bike and off his leather jacket. It makes his dark hair shine.  
  
A weird thought occurs to Veronica that this look suits him. His blue eyes hold an anger and hurt that pierce the night. They pierce her too because they resonate. And deep down did they not both know this was how it would always play out?  
  
In this singular moment she feels so painstakingly close to Jughead Jones The Third. An understanding is silently passing between them despite all the animosity they feel for each other.  
  
Oh they had hoped. But what is Hope compared to reality ?  
  
Time has stopped and it’s only the two of them in the world. They don’t even like each other. They can barely tolerate each other. Their families are completely at war for the Southside and the future of it, Yet they are linked so intimately in this moment.  
  
When your heart breaks the world always seems to stop. Of course it’s an illusion. The world keeps moving on it’s only your world that’s stopped . It comes crashing down on you and while your heart breaks you feel yourself drowning all alone.  
  
That is what makes this heartbreak so unique and so ethereal. The world keeps spinning but not hers and not his. Oh yes she is drowning, but not alone . She is drowning with him. In this moment they exist together and it’s just them. What hurts the most is that she realizes it was always just them.  
  
Archie and Betty have always been in their own world much like they are now up there in Archie’s room. While Veronica and Jughead have always been on the fringe of that world looking in so focused on the light inside that they never noticed each other standing side by side in the dark , looking in , much like now.  
  
They both glance back up to Archie’s open window where the light inside illuminates the tender kisses of Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper.  
  
Veronica feels like she’s spying on them and feels a sting of guilt that contrast with the string of hurt. She looks down at her heels fighting back the single tear threatening to escape . She then glances towards Jughead who’s still staring into the window as if trying to solve an intricate math equation.  
  
He looks back at Veronica and their eyes meet. One corner of his lips twitch up in a pained smirk. She reads acceptance on his lips as he revs up the engine on his Bike. The sound probably wakes up the whole neighborhood.  
  
Jughead cracks his knuckles and rolls his neck then shrugs his leather jacket on a little tighter and Veronica sees the literal transformation of Jughead before her own eyes. She takes one last glance up at the window and sees Archie and Betty looking down at her and Jughead guilt and shock on both their faces.  
  
“Coming Princess?” Jughead asks pulling the Bike up.  
  
The Serpent Prince and The Mob princess, somehow it makes sense in this moment.  
  
Wordlessly she hops on behind him rubbing her hands on the leather over his shoulders than over the snake on his back. He takes off as soon as she wraps her arms around his waist at a neck breaking speed and all the lights in the neighborhood are suddenly flashing on behind them almost as if they are taking their darkness with them.  
  
Veronica begins to laugh.  
  
Oh the Irony of riding off with a Serpent because nobody had warned her that Angels bite too


	2. Chapter 2

“Anywhere but Home.“ Veronica whispered in his ear as Jughead came to a stop sign.  
  
Jughead felt reckless and wild. He had been toeing the line for so long, practically his whole life. He knew what the dark side was, he watched it everyday growing up and it had slowly begun to pull at him. Archie and Betty had been his anchors and even they were barely keeping him afloat. Now they had broken all ties to any hope Jughead had ever had of being good , of being worthy of good.  
  
It was earth shattering but not in a painful way . No, it was earth shattering in the most freeing of ways. Jughead had lost a lot in his life but for the first time in his life he truly had nothing left to lose.  
  
He had been scared that instead of Betty dragging him into the light he was beginning to drag her into the dark and that had scared him more than being in the dark all alone so he had let her go. Riverdale was dark enough without corrupting it’s perfect girl next door. That decision had broken something in their relationship. Something in them had failed to be pieced back properly. Her kiss with Archie was easily dismissed but it had left another crack. A crack he had yet to realize ran so deep. Maybe he realized too late there were so many other things dragging Betty into a darkness of her own.  
  
The most hurt came from realizing he had been a consolation prize their whole relationship. No consolation was not the right word . Betty had gotten carried away dating the weird kid from the bad part of town and it excited the darker parts of her. All the nights in his trailer, the nights with that dark wig that matches his own dark locks, he was just something exciting for her. Yet, he was just a place holder for Archie this whole time as well.  
  
He glanced back at Veronica she had been a place holder too. His whole world came down around him and the one thing he had at the moment was some abnormal connection of circumstance with Riverdales favorite socialite. The daughter of the man trying to ruin his life with pretty words and blank checks.  
  
He needed a smoke.  
  
Jughead pulled out a joint he had stashed in his jacket pocket and tucked it between his lips. He felt Veronica shift behind him. He pulled out a matchbook.  
  
“You are every stereotype.” She whispered against his ear but her voice held a weight to it that was not her typical snark.  
  
Before he could light a match Veronica snatched it from him. He turned towards her assuming she was going to toss it and give him some sanctimonious speech about destroying lungs and brain cells, but instead she lit it herself.  
  
This was probably the closest they had ever been in their lives both physically and emotionally aside from the kiss they’d shared on a whim at her lake house. She was looking him dead in the eye and he could feel her breath mingling with his as she lit his joint with the match.  
  
A very dark thought flashed through his mind the same one that had flashed through his mind in that hot tub .  
  
 _I wonder what it would feel like to take something from Archie_  
  
He glanced down at Veronica’s lips and the tension between them was suddenly hot and thick. He wondered if he was creating it all in his head, human interaction was not exactly his strongest trait and he tended to romanticize things in his mind.  
  
Her eyes narrowed at him as she bit her lip before swiping her tongue over it, and Jughead couldn’t help but feel her mind was in tune with his . It felt every kind of wrong but in this moment wrong felt so right.  
  
He blew a puff of smoke almost directly into her mouth that she inhaled slow and deep.  
  
 _Every kind of wrong_  
  
She took the joint from his mouth letting her fingers linger on his lips before taking a pull herself . The skin on skin contact shoots a current from Jughead’s lips to somewhere in the pit of his stomach and he takes off.  
  
They are toeing a fine line. One Betty and Archie already crossed.  
  
They find themselves at a playground sitting on the swings. The irony is not lost on Jughead that he’s brought them to the same playground where he and Archie played as kids with Betty. They definitely are not kids anymore.  
  
It’s a little past midnight and the moon is shining bright reflecting off Veronica, and Jughead has to begrudgingly admit she’s beautiful in this light. It’s a sharp, dangerous, and overwhelming beautiful that he has never let himself notice. Maybe it’s the weed. Maybe it’s the small part of him that’s feeling unhinged, but as they pass the joint back and fourth silently staring at the only light in this dark night of theirs, he has a consuming urge to be closer to her.  
  
The meaning of a rebound suddenly makes so much sense to Jughead.  
  
“We were always going to end up the ones on the outside looking in.” Veronica says softly. It’s almost as if she’s not even speaking to him , just voicing her thoughts out loud.  
  
Jughead meets her eyes before looking back at the crescent in the sky.  
  
“I don’t think I mind the view right now.” He shrugs.  
  
His words hold so many meanings that he’s unsure if she even catches them all and he’s honestly quite surprised at himself. He’s learning all kinds of things tonight.  
  
He kept having to tear off parts of himself to fit into Betty and Archie’s box and it’s such a relief to be free of the charade. He’s no longer looking in. Betty and Archie turned off the lights and broke the window. Somehow in the darkness Veronica becomes so much clearer.  
  
She has always been Betty’s Friend and Archie’s girl but tonight on that dark street under Archie’s house he’d finally seen her. Veronica is human, so human he can’t help but relate because the people in Riverdale don’t feel real they are characters following a script. Everyone is so one dimensional and so predictable. Even the south side serpents in their attempts to go against the grain had fallen into stereotypical biker gang predictability. Bikes, Drugs, Betrayal, Violence, Leather.  
  
Veronica was so different that it had unnerved him. He had been so unsure where to place her that he couldn’t deal with it rationally. So he had resisted her. She was like him , she did not fit the script. The difference had been that while he was trying to study the script and take notes , she was trying to throw it away. So they rubbed each other the wrong way especially in that neither could get a direct read on the other. That had changed tonight. Tonight the ink on the script had dried and they had both realized there was no part for either of them in it anyway. They had been written out.  
  
 _Maybe it’s time to write our own script._  
  
“I’m not Betty.” She says simply taking him out his reverie.  
  
“No you’re not.” He replies.  
  
“Betty is beautiful.” She tries again. “Almost like an Angel.”  
  
Jughead has no idea what she is getting at which makes perfect sense because he’s only ever understood the people in the script and her never at all.  
  
“And you’re not?” Jughead ask with a soft hint of sarcasm. How he is sitting here on a swing set stroking Veronica Lodges Ego is beyond him. Of course she’s fucking beautiful and of course she has to know that.  
  
“I couldn’t tell him I love him.” She says dejectedly. “Then I did. Angels don’t lie.”  
  
In that one sentence Jughead decides he was devastatingly wrong he understands her all too well. Veronica Lodge is just as insecure as he is. The crazy part is they are not insecure in themselves as people. They are completely at peace with who they are as people. They are only insecure in regards to their relationships with those around them. They’ve both been trying to subconsciously fit themselves into the script and it just won’t work the way they want. They were born into a dark they have tried to resist. And if she failed has he not as well? How could he judge her? As much as he has felt he does not fit in she has felt the same. They deal with it differently he shuns himself before others can get the chance and she makes her presence known at all times so no one forgets they can’t. Someone has made her feel like they forgot, maybe her parents once ? Just Like his. Tonight it’s Archie for her and Betty for him. They forgot.  
  
Then he begins to wonder what parts of the Veronica he has known are the real her versus how he sees her in this moment. And damn his curious mind because he wants to know more because he’s never known her at all but he can see a little of himself in her and it’s fucking weird. Although she had called it once.  
  
Maybe he’s always known this too. He was just too stupid to pay attention. See that’s the thing about light, when you’re in the dark it’s hard to look for anything else but the light.  
  
“It’s not about him is it?” It’s less a question and more a statement.  
  
Sure she’s hurting over Archie and he’s hurting over Betty but it’s so much more than that. Betty and Archie represent everything they weren’t and could never be and tonight that had been thrown in their faces.  
  
“I lied and I tried , but Is it so bad to want a little good?” She ask.  
  
He shrugs again.  
  
“Maybe it could be good wanting a little bad” he offers.  
  
In beginning to understand her he’s beginning to understand himself a little more and that freaks him out just slightly. As if having a conversation and an ambivalent attraction wasn’t life altering enough for them, he would understand her.  
  
He shakes his head as she stays quiet swallowing his words along with another puff. She needed to know it was okay to embrace the darker parts of herself and reconcile them with who she is, god knows he needed to as well. Tonight felt like the night to do just that.  
  
“Maybe it’s okay to embrace the bad.” He muses. “We’re complex beings, none of us is either or. We’re all some of both.”  
  
“Betty is good with just a little bad.” She says.  
  
“And you’re bad with just enough good.” He supplies with no idea why he feels like .....comforting her ? Maybe because he needs comforting. Nobody has ever comforted him, and maybe nobody has ever truly comforted her either.  
  
“Were you hoping some of his good would rub off on you?” he finds himself asking and it’s like he’s talking to his own conscious.  
  
“ Yes.” She admits eyes boring into him. “ But instead I think I rubbed off on him.”  
  
He feels too exposed because if he sees her then she is seeing him. She’s his conscious speaking right back at him.  
  
“I’m not Archie.” He spits out with maybe too much venom. He needs them both to understand that.  
  
“No and I’m not Betty.” She repeats “I think you wanted some of her good too.”  
  
“I did.” he confesses “Because I’m all bad, because I’m so fucking far from being fucking Archie.” He hates the jealously that manages to seep into his words  
  
“And we just dragged them into our darkness.” She says softly. “Riverdale just drags them into darkness. Why do Angels fall so easily?”  
  
Suddenly there is challenge in her eyes and the mood shifts from self loathing to something darker and a little more exciting. It’s crazy to Jughead how her presence and her energy has the power to just alter the mood wherever she is. He isn’t like her in that way, his presence is a lot more muted.  
  
“How far from Archie?” She asks raising one of her perfect brows at him.  
  
“Southside far.” He answers.  
  
She stands up and is suddenly in front of him with a devious smirk that screams of the Veronica he is familiar with. Self assured and self entitled, but in this moment he likes it because he’s feeling the same way for maybe the first time in his life.  
  
“Maybe I should be chasing bad.” She says looking down at him.  
  
“You wanna visit the Southside?” He feels his smirk match hers and he’s feeling dangerous again back on some undefined edge with Veronica Lodge.  
  
“I don’t know.” she taps her chin in mock contemplation “How far is the Southside?”  
  
Jughead stands up and there is no space between them . They are chest to chest and Jughead feels a sick thrill at the proximity.  
  
“That’s up to you.” he answers. “As far as you want to go.”  
  
She’s biting her lip and looking up at him through those dark lashes. He finds himself leaning down just slightly. They’re breathing each other’s air and it’s way too close but not close enough.  
  
 _It’s time to burn the script_  
  
“How are we getting there?” She breathes against his mouth.  
  
“Did you forget the bike?” Jughead chuckles darkly at the layered conversation.  
  
“The rusty old one without any helmets?” She ask with a pout, rising up so their noses rub against each other. His hands are suddenly on her waist of their own accord pulling her closer and her arms slide over his shoulders.

_This feels nothing like the lake house_  
  
“I’m all the protection you'll need tonight.”  
  
And leave it to Veronica Lodge to throw him off. Instead of a kiss , like the awkward one they already shared, she takes his bottom lip by her teeth and pulls. Jughead likes the thrill of the pain but it reminds him of Dark Betty so his fingers grip into her waist hard and he retaliates by pulling his lip free and biting hers back harder. Then they’re kissing harshly and she’s pulling at his hair and he’s gripping the soft swell of her ass hard and it’s still not close enough.  
  
If the the world is going to crash around them why not set it on fire?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She wants to confess to him things she shouldn’t. Like how she always thought he had a lovely mouth. Or how badly she tried to make that hot tub kiss unappealing because the moment she had suggested it she had realized how badly she did want to kiss him. Instead she buries the confession into the pillow underneath her that still smells like Betty Cooper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning this chapter gets explicit and fast so read at the risk of being offended or corrupted. either or works. I debated hard keeping this chapter because i'm not too fond of reading or writing "smut" but it fit into the story i'm writing too well so its essential. Just bare with me and cover your eyes.

 

 

Veronica wakes up vaguely aware of three things

 

**-The room she’s in is unfamiliar and she has no idea where she is**

**-The bed she is laying in smells a little like Betty Cooper**

**-The arms around her are not beefy enough to be Archie’s.**

 

Then the memories of the night prior flood her.

 

She remembers seeing her pain reflected in Jughead’s intense eyes. She remembers him saying out loud all the things her conscious whispers to her in her darkest moments. He had made her feel human and understood and most importantly like she wasn’t being judged. Jughead who had seemed to Judge her the most upon her arrival. Jughead who would burn her father at the stake if he could, and burn her too if she stood in the way.

 

_The irony_

 

She’s aware that his bed is lumpy and lacks the luxury of hers. His sheets are also a little scratchy. There is a lot of skin on skin and she realizes she’s only wearing the lingerie she was going to surprise Archie with last night.

 

Waking up with Jughead was never how she imagined her night going , but his bare chest is up against her bare back with the exception of a thin line of black lace.

 

The memories start to come in back in droves.

 

Getting high. Confessing to Jughead she hadn’t wanted to go home because it isn’t a home. Him telling her his wasn’t much of one either but bringing her to his trailer regardless. Finding FP’s old alcohol stash. Getting drunk with Jughead and trying to get him to dance with her in his tiny living room. His defiance then his hesitance then his reluctant acceptance to dancing with her much like their relationship in entirety . Then the Kisses and touches.

 

She blushes as the memories take a more explicit turn and she remembers how they ended up in his room. Suddenly she’s more aware of the fact that she’s half naked and her legs are tangled with his. She also feels a very firm part of him pressing up against her backside and instead of the guilt she expects she feels a sense of excitement and curiosity.

 

_Wow Jughead?_

 

The alcohol is still swimming in her system and she wants badly to blame that for her reaction to feeling Jughead Jones the third behind her as she wonders briefly if he would want to finish what they started in the night. That thought is however quickly cut off by her wondering if Archie and Betty had finished what they started last night despite being caught. A battle ensues in her mind debating on which thought she prefers to dwell on.

 

“Relax princess” Jughead breathes into her neck voice deep and rough from sleep, as his hands slide down her hips.

 

She arches into him reflexively and feels the stirrings of early mourning arousal.

 

“Who says I’m not relaxed?” She ask knowing full well he felt her tense at the thought of him and their exes.  _Exes?_

 

His fingers dig into her hip hard, pressing against the bone and she’s sure she will have bruises. Imprints of his fingers adding to the bruises he gave her last night. For all his muscle Archie was never so rough with her. She likes rough.

 

She is thrown off by how confident and self assured this version of Jughead is compared to who she’s always seen him as. She is starting to see why the young serpents seem to follow him and so many people seem drawn to his opinions.

 

Jughead bites at her neck and she gasps at the pain. She reaches behind her and grasp at the hair on the back of his neck. He grinds against her and she feels like they could do without the few layers they have left between them.

 

It’s almost as if he reads her mind. His hand slides underneath the thong of her lace set and he’s gripping her inner thighs so close to her center. She knows he feels the wetness and heat coming from her as she can’t help but clench her thighs trying to get his hands where she needs them. She’s so turned on and too far gone to think about what’s driving her there.

 

“Fuck.” He groans and as the tip of one of his fingers brush her core Veronica moans in response. One of his fingers side into her gently as he whispers “Veronica” into her ears almost like he can’t believe she’s there and she can’t either.

 

She wants to confess to him things she shouldn’t. Like how she always thought he had a lovely mouth. Or how badly she tried to make that hot tub kiss unappealing because the moment she had suggested it she had realized how badly she did want to kiss him. Instead she buries the confession into the pillow underneath her that still smells like Betty Cooper. For some twisted reason the smell of Betty turns her sick mind on more and she reaches back to grab at Jughead through his boxer shorts.

 

She’s reminded that he’s bigger than she expected. Although saying expected is a reach because she never in her life expected to be in this position with this certain someone. The absurdity of it all is another draw to the flame, and if she is ice Jughead surely is fire. He’s all fierce emotions and uncontrollable passion and his ability to get lost in the moment spurs her to get lost in it too.

 

“Never played much with snakes huh princess ?” He ask breathing heavily. He sounds like he’s fighting to keep his composure and she wants to make him snap.

 

“No Juggie only Angels.” She answers sweetly hoping Betty’s nickname for him brings him closer to the edge.

 

It seems to work

 

He squeezes her left breast hard through the lace fabric and rips it off ensuring Archie will never see her in it.

 

She twist her body to meet him as he moves to climb on top of her. They meet in the middle and are somehow in synch as he ends up on top of her and between her thighs. Then they’re kissing and picking up right where they left off before the drugs and the alcohol kicked their asses last night.

 

His left hand roams her chest as they kiss hard with more teeth then she’s ever experienced. His right hand sneaks back under her panties with a smoothness she had no idea Jughead possessed. She had always figured Jughead was far less experienced than Archie but he fumbles a lot less and his motions are a lot more sure. She’s not sure if it’s through practice with Betty or if it’s because for some uncanny reason Jughead can read her like a book.

 

_He does write a lot , Maybe it’s creativity come to life, maybe he’s thought about this before._

 

He starts slowly rubbing along her clit in the same pattern his thumb rubs on her nipple and his tongue snakes around hers. Then he digs his fingers back into her and he’s thrusting his fingers in her so hard and fast she hears her own wetness against his fingers. She claws at his back digging into flesh.

 

He slowly moves his hands from her breast to her throat and he’s grabbing her neck with just enough pressure that’s it’s dangerous yet sensual. He moves his other hand to her mouth and squeezes her throat a little harder until she opens her mouth for him. He sticks his fingers in her mouth and has her tasting herself. She has never been one to be with the rough play or to be so submissive but she’s been trying to keep it together for too long and she’s always had to maintain control over everything even while everything was spiraling. In this moment she gives away the control freely.

 

She thinks about Jughead and all the things that must have been thrown at him always being tormented by things out of his control and maybe finally he’s taking it back. Joining the serpents, being in bed with her. No , he was definitely taking control of things and who was she to deny him that? Especially when it looked so good on him.

 

She moans and gasps wordlessly as he continues his ministrations, clutching at his silky dark curls that she can admit she’s always admired from under that god awful beanie of his. She looks him in the eyes and he’s looking into hers . The look of complete dominance and surety in his tells her she can let him take what he wants and she tries to make her own eyes tell him he can have whatever he needs. She can take it.

 

She reaches between them and untucks him out of his boxers with slow strong strokes and his body tightness up for the shortest of seconds before he’s thrusting into her hand and they’re matching each other’s pace.

 

He starts kissing and biting at her neck adding to the bite marks and bruises he’d already left hours ago. He trails kisses down her body and she knows where he’s headed.

 

As he travels down her body he stops to worship her breast with his mouth sucking and squeezing while she hums her appreciation . He takes off her garter belt expertly and that throws her off as she has an odd thought that she hasn’t given Betty enough credit in the bedroom.

 

“I’m guessing these weren’t meant for me?” He ask with amusement.

 

“They are now.” She replies not missing a beat.

 

He pulls her panties down and she arches up to let him pull them past her waist. He gives her ass a quick sharp slap then kisses between her inner thighs.

 

“I hope you like this as much as Betty does.” he says with a smirk against her hip.

 

That should piss her off, being compared to Betty after last night, but it only makes her wetter. She’s supposed to be a different Veronica. One not out for petty revenge but this revenge feels so deceptively sweet. She’s embracing the darkness her parents birthed her into. The same darkness that ensured she and Archie could never work. She feels safe embracing it with Jughead and she’s doesn’t want to think too deeply what that says about them. However , no one else in Riverdale seems intent on following rules why should she? Why should they?

 

Jughead licks the crease between her leg and her core and it’s the filthiest yet sexiest thing that’s ever been done to her. Then he’s licking at her like the snake on his leather jacket. Up though her slit, then over and around her clit. It’s like his tongue is everywhere. He sucks on her and brings his finger back into play and she’s probably yanking at his hair a little too roughly but he stays focused like he might find salvation between her legs, like he might find just enough light in between all her darkness.

 

She feels all the muscles in her abdomen tensing and her legs begin to quiver of their own volition as a powerful orgasm takes her over. She moans his name repeatedly and digs her nails deep into the skin behind Jughead’s neck as she grinds against his mouth and he’s gripping her ass holding her against him.

 

Veronica is positive this must be Betty’s favorite pastime because that is the only reason he could be so good at this.

 

Through her moans and breathlessness she manages to mumble “Inside now.”

 

She’s pretty sure Jughead understands what she means when he discards his boxers like a man possessed and strokes himself, getting himself a little harder for her. She wonders if Betty would return the favor and if she does Veronica can do it better and she wants Jughead to know it. As Jughead rubs his head along her entrance teasingly she sits up and pushes him unto his back.  _That felt so good but not yet_. She takes back control.

 

He looks at her in surprise but goes with the change. She grips him and licks a slow line up his shaft that makes him twitch under her tongue.

 

“Holy shit Lodge” he moans and Veronica feels so powerful. The power that comes from being a strong woman in control of her body and her desire. This is no longer just about Archie or Betty , this is about how bad her body wants his right now.

 

She licks at him from top to bottom cupping his balls for good measure because two can play that game and she feels him flinch. That satisfies her to no end to see him coming undone. The only sense of connection they’ve genuinely been able to form thus far is one upping each other. She kisses along his length trying to tease him and he thrusts up as she grips him hard at the base. Their eyes meet and hold and she swirls her tongue around the tip of him and he growls low as he runs a hand through her hair. She puts him in her mouth and before she can get him all the way in there’s a sharp knock at his trailer door. She releases him with a pop.

 

“Fuck!” He yells loudly. “I’m going to kill someone.” She sees a flash of something dark in his eyes that almost makes her believe it.

 

She chuckles and licks her lips as he climbs out the bed.

 

“Get rid of them so we can get to the good part.” She teases as he pulls his boxers back on.

 

She sits back on her haunches to admire the lean muscle on him so different from what she is used to and she can admit although he’s not her type many woman would be happy to have him if they saw him naked and knew what he could do with his tongue, if only he would let her dress him.

 

There's another rasps of knocks

 

“Jug I know you’re home I see your bike out here.” Shouts Archie and Veronica’s heart plummets.

 

“Please man we have to talk.” He says.

 

Of course Archie wants to talk and of course it’s with Jughead and not her. She fucked up first after all, She’d gotten him into something that was way over his head and it was more than likely another stress factor that led him to Betty. Maybe he needed a break from the dark. She wonders if he feels guilty after being caught last night, especially after telling her the first kiss meant nothing. Especially after her father took him under his wing and essentially made him part of the family.

 

Veronica steals a glance at Jughead to see what’s the plan. His jaw is tight and he looks ..... Pissed. Pissed and flustered.

 

“I’ll get rid of him fast.” He says nonchalantly like that is not her boyfriend and his best friend outside with a very good chance of finding out what they’re up to in his trailer. His voice does not match the look in his eyes . The danger is back in his eyes but this one is a lot less sex and a lot more violence. It’s a darker version of the look he had given her father in the very living room they danced in last night. He was bracing for a fight.

 

He’s out his room and at the front door before she can say a word and she finds herself frozen to the spot unsure of what to do as panic grips her.

 

“What do you want Archie?” She can hear Jughead’s voice through the thin walls of the trailer. He sounds uncaring and bored but she knows the mind state he’s in right now. She’ also pretty sure he’s high on testosterone and adrenaline at the moment.

 

“Jug about Last nig-“ Archie begins but Jughead cuts him off.

 

“Nothing to say about last night Archibald.” Says Jughead indifferently.

 

“But you and Veronica took off so fast last night and we didn’t get a chance to talk.”

 

Archie sounds so oblivious and where usually it’s endearing in this situation it’s grating and she decides to stay where she is because she would more than likely end up slapping him. She just hopes to God Jughead fights the violent urges towards his friend she saw in his eyes. Veronica would have bet on Archie before but it’s clear as day this transformation in Jughead ever since joining the serpent gang and it makes her feel like maybe Archie won’t come out of this unscathed if it escalates.

 

She quickly begins to look for her clothes realizing she may need to intervene.

 

“I really don’t think talking was in your plans last night, and it definitely is not in mine this morning.” Jughead fires.

 

“Jug if you would let me explain.” Archie tries again then pauses. “Did V at least make it home okay last night?” Archie ask taking the conversation in a left turn.

 

Veronica wishes she could see Jughead’s face, but unfortunately her clothes didn’t make it to the room last night so she is kind of stuck. She’s hesitant because she realizes suddenly she would rather Archie and Betty not know about her and Jughead, even if the evidence is all over her body in the form of dark fingerprints and teethmarks.

 

“Are you implying she wouldn’t be safe with me?” He ask. Veronica smiles because she sure as hell was not.

 

“No, I just” Archie begins and Veronica knows he’s trying to put his thoughts together mid sentence in typical Archie fashion and she hopes he doesn’t put his foot in his mouth in more typical Archie fashion.

 

“I was worried about both of you.” Veronica sighs in relief.

 

“So was Betty.”

 

_And there he goes._

 

“Don’t worry the princess made it home safe to her castle of horrors last night even without her knight in Lettermen.” Jughead says harshly.

 

“I know you must be mad Jughead but it just kind of happened in the moment Betty feels terrible.”

 

Veronica rolls her eyes hard.

 

“So she just ended up in your room at midnight in the moment?” Jughead ask sarcastically. “Don’t even answer that Archie because frankly I don’t give a single fuck at the moment. Congrats man you have the capability of obtaining almost any girl you desire you even had a genuinely amazing one in your hands already in Veronica but forget her , Betty is one of a kind so I hope that maybe this time it sticks.”

 

The weight of Jughead’s words makes Veronica feel like she’s being left out on so much of Jughead's backstory. It’s said with more emotion than he’s seemed able to muster the whole conversation. It also doesn’t feel aimed at Archie but at himself. She doesn’t miss the subtle compliment Jughead throws her either although she is sure Archie does. His words are loaded with more than maybe even she can understand.

 

_Jughead is hurting_

 

Veronica realizes with a start that this affair based on revenge has morphed into one of comfort because she wants nothing more than to make him stop the self loathing. Anger flares in her chest at Archie for helping to cause some of it.

 

“I know you’re upset and you have every right to be. Its going to take time Jughead but you’re my bestfriend , my brother. We will fix this. I love Veronica even if she doesn’t feel like it right now . What happened with Betty was a mistake believe it or not. I’m sorry. You take time to let everything sit, you could always punch me too if it helps .” Archie gives his speech with almost no pauses at all not even for breathe. She’s pretty sure he smiled at his last joke too.

 

Veronica let’s his words sink in. He loves her, or he thinks he does. He would be wrecked if he knew what her and Jughead had been up to not even five minutes ago. She can’t help but wonder if Archie can’t smell her on Jughead.

 

Guilt begins to wrap itself all around her. She had driven Archie right to Betty breaking his heart in the process and now she was destroying the friendship between the two.

 

She knew their friendship was already taking hit after hit but her and Jughead were adding another. She also couldn’t imagine losing Betty. She had no doubt her bestfriend still Loves Jughead dearly. Everything was just so twisted. So many different feelings were involved. Regret sneaks its way into her knowing her and Jughead didn’t share in any of those possibly romantic feelings that seemed to over take their group, it was just impulse . Her behavior spoke so much of the old Veronica that she’d tried to vanquish but kept having to draw strength from.

 

She realized tears had begun to snake down her cheeks.

 

They were quiet for a few minutes and Veronica was feeling her walls break down as panic started bubbling in her chest. Jughead had been right it was about so much more than Archie.

 

“You should go.” Jughead finally breaks the silence.

 

“Okay.” Archie sounds so defeated. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

 

“No you won’t , You’ll always be Northside.” Jughead says before shutting the door and Veronica assumes it’s in Archie’s face.

 

She tries to compose herself as Jughead walks back to the room, but it’s a hopeless effort. She sees him and the dam breaks inside of her seeing everything that he represents. The darker side of her that she should keep buried away. She’s been helping her father with something that would ultimately hurt him,  _no not hurt destroy._ When had she become so tainted? So uncaring?

 

His eyes meet hers as soon as he steps into the room . His fury meets her sorrow.

 

“Do you love him?” He asks with a defeated sigh. He’s instantly back to being the sad brooding loner she thought she knew so well.

 

“I don’t know what Love looks like.” She answers wiping at her tears. She’s crying bare naked sitting on his bed and she’s aware she is the definition of vulnerable.

 

He sits beside her on his bed and wraps a sheet around her shoulder pulling her into his chest.

 

“I don’t think anyone really ever does.”

 

The tenderness in his voice finally directed at her and the truth of his words has her sobbing into him and he lays them down and holds her.

 

She lets out everything she’s ever held in. She cries for her mom and dad, she cries for the huge turn her life took when her father got arrested. She cries for the realization that her parents were never who they pretended to be, and because of that she has no idea who she is supposed to be. She cries for the old Veronica that she realizes she isn’t fully capable of being anymore, and for the new Veronica that she never really was either. She’s crying for her broken heart along with Betty’s and Archie’s and Jughead’s. Because they may be separated by light and dark , but they’re all a little broken.

 

She realizes that he’s silently crying too and still trying to comfort her. Rubbing circles into her back. She has no idea why he’s trying to comfort her other than the fact that his list of reasons to cry is eerily similar to hers. Her and her father should be at the top of that list and that guilt eats at her as well.

 

“ Remember how I told you it’s okay to embrace the bad?” he ask softly.

 

She nods into his chest.

 

“Well it’s okay to embrace the good too, you’re more than you give yourself credit for Veronica Lodge.” 

 

She silently hopes she's more than he gave her credit for too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had told her that light and Dark were not mutually exclusive and she could only hope he felt the same within himself. Betty and Archie were everything sweet and pure about Riverdale but Jughead was Riverdale at its truest, a beautiful blend of the light and Dark. Oddly because of that he had been an outcast on both sides, but he seemed to have finally found a spot on the Southside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you for the kudos and the comments they've really helped more than you can imagine . I'm sorry it has been awhile. I was unfortunately hit with a health crisis hope you can understand and thanks for coming back. All love Always.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Veronica stared at her phone stoically as Jughead set up some elaborate projection screen in his small dark room.

 

**Mad** **re**

**5 missed calls**

**Daddy**

**8 missed calls.**

**B**

**3 missed calls.**

**Archikens**

**1 missed call.**

**7 unread messages**

Her heart thuds hard in her chest and everything feels,  _too much_ , she decides. She is not ready to deal with any of it. Luckily Jughead had sensed that and suggested movies and Junk food. Of course Jughead would watch movies at home on projector, it was just like him and she couldn’t help but smile at the knowledge.

 _Serpent By blood , Nerd by heart, he’s a boy with many skins_.

His stash of Junk food was rather impressive. It’s an assortment of microwaveable burgers, chips, and sweets.

It was odd how comfortable they seemed to be with each other in this bubble of theirs. They were both still undressed and Veronica kept catching Jughead’s eyes sneak glances at her breast. She wrapped the covers around her waist letting him enjoy the view as she sat up against his headboard that seemed intent on squeaking with every movement.

She was also enjoying the view . He was all lean muscle, compact and firm. His lack of a beanie still contrasted hard with the image of him she was used to. The tattoo on his arm caught her attention surprised to find Jughead even had a tattoo . It was the same one Sweet Pea has on his neck that she had assumed was Sweet Pea colorfully expressing his allegiance to his tribe but it now makes her think maybe it’s just a serpent thing. It was obvious from lack of muscle mass that he spent no time in the gym while also obvious that he did some type of physical labor in the way his muscles danced under his skin in practiced motion. She has a flash of recollection that he occasionally works on motors at a shop on the south side with Sweet Pea and a few other serpents.

The mood had shifted to a much more somber one. Archie’s visit had stunted the oddly intense desire her and Jughead had felt for each other. Her mind and heart were in turmoil. So much of her wanted to take Archie back, beg for his forgiveness, and try her best to be good to him and for him. Archie had been amazing to her their whole relationship. Another part of her didn’t think that was possible.  _Fool me once shame on you, but fool me twice?....._  That same part of her was still lusting for Jughead while hating Archie for loving Betty.

She fought a conflicted battle in her mind. She felt guilty about what her and Jughead were doing , but at the same time Archie had been making out with Betty just last night. She had to fight hard not to deeply resent the two people closest to her in the small town. She had too many emotions to deal with she needed a simple distraction.

“So what are we watching ?” She asks.

“The old dark house.” he answers jumping back on the bed. “I’m working on a piece detailing the unfortunately my tragic evolution of horror as a genre.”

“Seriously ? That creepy old movie right now ?” She narrows her eyes at him.

“It’s still a classic.” He shrugs.

“It is.” She relents grabbing the cartoon of Ice cream Jughead had brought to the room.

“So are we ignoring the world today?” He ask eyes on the screen but she’s aware he knows she’s been glancing at her phone. He’s way too observant. He must of caught her checking him out as well.

“Maybe just for right now.” She says putting her phone down on the bed before taking a spoonful of chocolate mint.

“I’m good with that.” he replies.

Veronica catches the slight movement of his eyes following the motion of the spoon in her mouth and she makes a show of slowly withdrawing it with an exaggerated moan. Jughead swallows noticeably hard and she chuckles at the fact that unlike she had always believed Jughead Jones was not impervious to her seductiveness. He rolls his eyes with a laugh and averts his attention back to the screen.

They’re halfway through the movie and Jughead is halfway through his pile of snacks. He’s let her sit with her thoughts in silence but she breaks it because she can’t help but feel an incessant need to confess.

“My dad is definitely up to some shady shit with the Southside. He could not possibly care less about what you and the Serpents will lose or how this could hurt you all. His deal was bullshit he just wants you and your dad out of the way and quiet.” She braves a shy glance at him ready to read anger on his face, contempt at the least .

Jughead looks back at her and for the first time since they’ve met she shrinks under the intensity of his eyes.

“Someone’s always into some shady shit on the Southside.” He answers with a nonchalant shrug.

She knows guilt is so clearly written on her face. She already helped her father with unspeakable things and she doesn’t have much room to refuse her father of much else he might ask of her. There were only so many times she could tell her father no. Or protect the boy in front of her.

“Stop worrying about things out of your control. We can handle ourselves.” He says like it is so simple. Then again he’s been through a lot maybe to him it is simple.

She feels a weight lighten off her shoulders but it’s not completely gone yet. She warned him and she would trust that he could handle whatever was coming. Jughead was resourceful and the Serpents caused her father enough headache that she had to believe they were capable enough of taking care of their own skin.

“My dad has a tendency to handle obstacles with fatal intentions. Your article is an obstacle any more articles will become a burden he cannot bare.” She tried to make him understand the weight of what he was really in for. She had herself used those same intentions for her own vengeance. She wanted him to know he had to take this serious it wasn’t some small injustice in school he was dealing with. With her father the scale was so much larger.

Jughead looks at her then and gives her a sly smile that whispers of secrets.

“So do Serpents.” He says in a dark voice.

His words send a chill down her spine. She loves her father and she can admit she cares about Jughead’s well being. She would rather not see either of them come to harm. She knows that if push comes to shove she will have to try her hardest not to pick sides maybe even intervene. Knowing Jughead can handle himself is not the same as expecting him to survive an assassination plot and she does not put that past her father for one second. If the serpents become an obstacle he would remove them, even Jughead.

 _Especially Jughead_.

“He’s ruthless Jughead.”

“You have no idea what happened to the last person Hiram tried to throw at us.” He replies with a hint of regret in his voice. However his face tells her another story. It tells her that while he regrets whatever transpired he’s not opposed to it happening again.

“There is strength in numbers Veronica and we take care of our own. All the money in the world couldn’t buy what we have and all the evil in the world couldn’t kill what we have. We were forged in blood and we will thrive in blood.” He tells her and she finally understands it completely. The reason why Jughead can draw in so many people with his conviction. Why people hold any value in his manic rants, or passionate speeches. She sees why people bother to read his various protest articles. He sparks strong reactions in everyone who hears his voice or reads his words.

She has always been prone to resist his pull but with her guards down after the last few hours she can feel it . She feels the truth in his sentiment. She wonders briefly if she should be worried about her fathers well being. Riverdale is beginning to feel eerily synonymous with Murder and Revenge.

She reaches over and tilts Jughead’s chin down , facing him towards her. She presses the softest and sweetest of kisses to his lips and she hopes it says all the things she could never say to him out loud. She hopes it promises him that she will silently be in his corner even when it doesn’t feel like it because she is a Lodge and her father expects things from her now. She hopes it says she wants him to be safe. She hopes it tells him that he deserves good too.

He had told her that light and Dark were not mutually exclusive and she could only hope he felt the same within himself. Betty and Archie were everything sweet and pure about Riverdale but Jughead was Riverdale at its truest, a beautiful blend of the light and Dark. Oddly because of that he had been an outcast on both sides, but he seemed to have finally found a spot on the Southside.

She remembers how he’d walked into Riverdale High with his gang at his back and while they were fashionably inept something about them had been , him specifically, so appealing. Maybe it was the dark rough exterior, but that genuine smile of amusement he had thrown at her had made her heart skip the slightest beat. She realizes her attraction to him was probably not as sudden as she would of liked to fool herself into thinking.

She stares at him for a few seconds while their faces are inches apart. She takes him in , in a way she never has before. His features are not as masculine as Archie’s and she has always been attracted to the more masculine type. However, he is beautiful in a way Archie is not. If he was born in different circumstances he might have been a model or an actor.  _James Dean_  she recalls a retort from another time. His features are soft yet sharp and his raven hair makes his bright blue eyes shine that much more with flecks of green that make Veronica think of emeralds lost in an ocean. His eyes hold a deep abyss of darkness that is so full of knowledge they draw you in and make you curious as to what’s behind them.

He has an old soft soul that’s clearly been tortured. There is probably more depth to him than anyone else in Riverdale and she finds she would like to explore it instead of her usual urge to resist it. She had gotten hooked on Archie so fast that she had never truly explored all her options. But Jughead had never been an option had he? She had seen right past him at first. She wonders when the first time she truly saw him had been. Maybe it was last night.

She sees him now. Clear as day. She’s aware that she’s openly studying him and she doesn’t care. He’s looking right back at her with a silent yet piercing curiosity that makes her think maybe he’s wondering the same things about her. Something between them is morphing and she is not sure what it is anymore. Maybe it is simply two broken people that find similarities in their cracks, but they’re being tethered in a way that might not be so simple to untangle later.

Their actions already reflect more than they could possibly ever reasonably explain to Archie or Betty even if they had started them down this path. Then again had they really been the ones to start them down this path?

“I would ask a penny for your thoughts if I thought I could afford them.” Jughead breaks the silence.

“I don’t even think I can afford them at the moment Forsythe.” She answers realizing she likes the feel of his given name on her tongue.

“The conundrum of teenage angst.” He says.

“The conundrum of human attraction.” She replies.

“Why Veronica Lodge are you flirting with me?” He ask with an exaggerated gasp as he clutches at his chest. “Be still my bleeding heart.”

“Don’t let it go to your head Jones.” She answers laughing outright at his butchering of the idiom.

She glances down at his lap and smirks deviously “Or has it already?”

“I think you’re suffering from very toxic traits of denial , which I’ll have you know include avoidance and transference.” He says and that throws her off briefly.

He might be right.  _He’s definitely_   _right_. She’s using him to avoid her life outside because she cannot wrap her head around what transpired last night on Elm street. However, she is genuinely attracted to him as well. She really doesn’t want to think too hard on anything at the moment she just wants to forget everything for awhile. And not only is he right there with her but he also understands. She’s also not opposed to another orgasm although she is not sure if that is still on the table.

“I am.” She finally admits. “But I’m also trying to figure out why I’m so attracted to you at the moment Jones.” She adds hoping to get his mind back on track.

“This isn’t about me.” He says . She recalls he said the same about Archie.

“Your loss.” she replies and shrugs before turning back to the movie.

“Trust me it is. I cannot fathom why but I want to do all the worst things to you Lodge.” He says and she catches him rubbing his hands over his face from the corner of her eyes. That makes her smile again.

“I’ll tell you what, if in like a week , yeah I say a week is good . If in a week you haven’t reconciled with dear old Archie and you still feel-“ he gestures between them. “Whatever this is. I will throw you on my bike and ride you away like a madman.”

His words send a thrill down to her core and she feels herself get wet at the thought. She had no idea Jughead possessed all this cockiness and sex appeal. He wields it well when he wants to. However , he makes brief sense that it might not happen. She’s not sure what it is she wants or needs from Archie but she isn’t sure she’s gotten it yet. She isn’t sure she can give Archie up so easily. She’s also not sure despite the betrayal on the other end that she could betray Betty like that with so much afterthought. In the heat of the moment it was easier. At the moment while it stung fresh it was easier, but even she knew given enough time to think on it she more than likely would not do that to Archie or Betty. Stupid Jughead still seemed way to insightful on her way of thinking.

“Okay that’s a promise.” She says finally with a smile making a decision she is sure Jughead can appreciate.

“A promise.” He says back.

“We should seal it with a kiss.” She answers licking her lips.

She throws the covers along with the pile of junk food off of Jughead’s lap and effectively his bed. She pushes him down the bed and sneaks her hands down his boxers and pulls him out. She was right he is already hard for her. Before he can say or do anything she has him in her mouth. He hisses and she smiles around him. If there is one thing Lodges are good at it’s payback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a lot of writing and drafting in the hospital so I'll have a few chapters up in the next few days maybe even hours depending how long it takes to edit, i did all of my writing on my phone getting it to the laptop is a little process but barring any health setbacks I will be updating regularly. see you soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead could admit he’d been the one to initially push Betty away. He knows he broke her heart a little too harshly the last time and things had not been the same since their reunion. The weight of what she was suffering with her family was also weighing on them as well as his involvement with the Serpents. However that did not, to him, excuse her or Archie of their betrayal. He cannot reason why Archie or Betty would throw everything away so easily but it makes things easier for him to throw away as well.

Jughead is aware he is being spoken to. He’s also faintly aware the conversation is important. The problem is he cannot bring himself to focus. His train of thought keeps steam rolling towards his childhood friends and their betrayal. He found the only thoughts powerful enough to distract him from the anger and resentment involved a raven haired temptress with her lightly tanned skin and soft curves.

 

The things he had done to her and she to him in return. He would never forget the taste of her or how wet and inviting her mouth was for him.  _One week_. He knew he was an idiot, he was nowhere near her league and once she had time to realize how big of a mistake she was going to make she would change her mind. Sleeping with Veronica was a fantasy he never even let himself have , but now that he had the fantasy he wanted the moment to be genuine and to be about them. It would be torture seeing her in the halls of Riverdale High or at pops. It would be even more torture to see her hand in hand with Archie if she ran back to him like he figured she likely would. He was uncertain if they resumed their relationship where exactly that left him and Betty. He would ignore the fact that it was him who’d put his chance with Veronica on hold due to his irrationally logical reasoning.

 

Jughead felt a deep resentment for his former friend. It was not enough that Archie could have pretty much any girl he wanted . Betty and Veronica. The two most stunning, cunning and intellectually gifted young women in Riverdale. Archie had effectively turned him into the second choice for both women in less then a moons turn.

 

Jughead could admit he’d been the one to initially push Betty away. He knows he broke her heart a little too harshly the last time and things had not been the same since their reunion. The weight of what she was suffering with her family was also weighing on them as well as his involvement with the Serpents. However that did not, to him, excuse her or Archie of their betrayal. He cannot reason why Archie or Betty would throw everything away so easily but it makes things easier for him to throw away as well.

 

And the odds that both he and Veronica would chance upon them at that exact moment at the exact same time. The moment their eyes met on that dark street felt almost cosmic. It was fate. It had been a moment of weakness that had led him to Betty’s front door, it was usually she who would show up at his door. He was aware how dark the road ahead of him was going to be going up against Hiram Lodge and in that dark hour he had craved a little light hoping he could maybe provide some light for her as well. He’d never expected to find the end of life as he’d known it. His world had fallen apart and any illusions he ever had shattered. All of his memories of Betty now somehow felt tainted.

 

“Yeah he’s out of it.” Sweet Pea says and it snaps him out of his thoughts and he finds his focus back in the Whyt Wyrm in a back booth with a few of the younger serpents where they could at least pretend to attempt to have considered concealing their drinking.

 

“Huh?” He asks and Toni laughs outright.

 

“I know that face Jug.” She says with a smile.

 

“What face?” he ask knitting his brows and grabbing some of the nuts in a bowl on the table.

 

“That ‘I made out with a beautiful girl but still can’t stop thinking about Betty Cooper’ face.” She mocks sarcastically using a high pitch tone that he’s sure is supposed to be his and fluttering her lashes as if he would actually do something so absurdly dramatic.

 

The old Jughead might of gotten defensive, maybe even a little embarrassed, but not anymore . They are family and he is comfortable in his skin, literally and figuratively. Toni is his best friend, even without the length of history he shared with Archie, she had gotten close enough to claim that spot in his life.

 

He had divulged to her all the discoveries and happenings at the Lake house. Now she was teasing him with the knowledge in front of the gang. The crazy part was this firecracker of a woman probably knew him enough to have truly read his mind on his face.

 

“Trouble in paradise Jones? Who’s the other unlucky lady?” Sweet Pea asks sipping a beer.

 

Sweet Pea had also slowly been becoming one of his closest friends. After his Southside induction and the situation with the snake charmer they had a begrudging respect for one another that had continued to evolve. After being thrown into the chaos of Riverdale high and working both at the shop and some odd jobs for the Serpents together he and Sweet Pea had actually formed a solid friendship. They could actually appreciate the differences in each other. Most importantly they trusted that the best interest of the Southside and their family was all that truly mattered to them both.

 

“Not Toni.” Jughead answers “This Time.” he adds in retaliation hoping for a reaction out of her while stealthily avoiding their questions.

 

Sweet Pea belts out a laugh along with a few of the others and Jughead can’t help but join in. Toni tosses some peanuts at him but smiles too in a show of good sportsmanship.

 

“So I’m guessing some Northside floozie.” Sweet Pea asks.

 

“A gentlemen never kisses and tells.” Jughead replies.

 

“Says the guy who literally just told.” Toni fires.

 

“Since when were any of us gentlemen?” Ask Fangs.

 

“The day after never.” answers Jughead and the rest of the Serpents share a rowdy toast in agreement.

 

Jughead appreciates his friends taking him out of his thoughts. The thought of Veronica’s warning about her father still lingers at the back of his mind as well. He knows Hiram Lodge and his father have bad blood and history probably more than he will ever know which is why he cannot fathom why his father would trust the Lodges with Sunny side.

 

This war that he helped to ignite eats away at his conscious almost constantly. He lost his dad so many times he won’t lose him again. Not to Hiram Lodge and not to prison. Jughead will handle Hiram himself. His article was only the tip of the Iceberg.

 

He looks around at his friends _, no, not by myself._

 

“There might be something we have to deal with.” He tells the group.

 

“What kind of trouble we looking at now?” Toni ask in that voice of hers that is so sweet yet ready for a challenge it intimidates him.

 

“I’m not sure yet. I’m going to do some digging and get back to you. Just be aware we’re not in the clear yet with sunny side. Sweet Pea, Fangs I’m definitely going to need you to pay someone a visit with me soon though.” He tells them.

 

Sweat Pea looks excited at the prospect of trouble. He’s probably the one person that’s seen Jughead at his darkest. Fangs looks weary as he always does. Their contrasting demeanors help aid in the intimidation factor because it throws their targets off. Jughead has learned the intricacies of the good thug, bad thug routine on some of their security jobs. Jughead was going to need that.

 

Hiram Lodge was a very smart man , but Jughead would be smarter. He needed to get a rise out of Hiram Lodge publicly. It would make him a suspect if anything were to happen to one of the Serpents and they could use it as leverage to stay his hand on any crazy plots he might have of retaliation. That would give Jughead time to find out what else he was truly up to and give them an upper hand on The Lodge Patron.

 

Jughead felt guilty that this was Veronica’s father he would be going after. The same father he had essentially told her not to give up on. He fought the slight urge to want to use her in getting the rise he wanted out of her father. Partly because he didn’t want her stuck in the middle and partly because he wanted to use her in other ways that didn’t involve her father in the least. Even if those ways would probably hurt Hiram more than anything the Serpents could do.

 

He tries to shake the thoughts out of his head.

 

“I need some air.” He says before making his way out the booth “I’ll let you two know when and where.” He tells Fangs and Sweet Pea. They nod and he exits the bar.

 

Jughead pulls out his phone and stares at the missed calls and unread messages from Betty. He’s torn between wanting to talk to her and wanting to pretend she doesn’t exist. He decides he can’t deal at the moment and puts his phone back in his pocket. He pulls out a joint from his pocket and lights it with a match.

 

His mind turns to Veronica as he hops on his bike, feeling the ghost of her fingers against his lips. Last night felt so surreal, this morning all the more so. He has no idea what had overtaken them. He cannot wrap his head around it all, it feels like a dream. He’s still confused as to what kind of dream.

_Nothing that beautiful can be a nightmare_

 

He finds himself heading to pops and sending out a random prayer that neither Betty or Archie are there. The food at the Whyt Wyrm was not up to par and he needed proper sustenance to be at full thought processing capability.

 

He needs plans and lots of them. One for Hiram Lodge, one for dealing with Betty, one for dealing with Archie, one to protect the Serpents, and one for Veronica. He was uncertain what type of plan he needed for the latter but needed nonetheless.

 

_Waiting one week counts as a plan doesn’t it?_

 

It did but he would most definitely see her before that time and he needed to figure out where they stood and how to be around Betty and Archie without the hurt or the guilt.

 

She had changed his life with her mouth when she went down on him after he suggested they wait on taking it further. He saw the devil dancing in her eyes as he spent himself in her mouth. Then she had put her dress and heels on leaving behind her fancy underwear set. She left with a simple “See you around, Forsythe.”

 

He had no idea how she was getting home or what her parting comment meant, but he had still been seeing stars and was in no shape to follow her and ask questions all he knew was he kind of liked the way his inherited name sounded on Veronica’s lips. He finds he now likes her lips a lot.

 

Were they genuine friends now ? Would either of them still want each other in a week?

 

He was fully prepared for her to get back with Archie and pretend their encounter never occurred. He would take the secret to the grave if she wanted , but he’d also take the memory.

 

He walks into pops and heads straight for his usual booth regretful he’s left his laptop home in result of his lingering hangover. Writing helps him condense his thoughts and sort them through objectively. For now all he has are his thoughts and as many cheeseburgers as he can afford.

 

Pops appears next to him ready to take his order.

 

“Two double bacon cheeseburgers.” Says Jughead knowing he sounds as exasperated as he feels. “Actually make that four. Oh and Onion rings.”

 

“ A shake?” Pops ask knowingly.

 

“Of course my good man, surprise me.”

 

Pops gives him a genuine smile and not for the first time Jughead feels as if pops is the only person in Riverdale who truly understands him.

 

“It’ll be out in a minute.”

 

“Take your time my good man, I have a lot of essential pondering ahead of me”

 

Jughead is alone with his thoughts and begins the process of prioritizing. He begins with a mental list of important topics. Topping the list include Betty, Archie, Veronica, and Hiram Lodge.

 

_Betty, file away for later. Archie, file away for later. Veronica, file away for.... To Be Determined. Hiram Lodge it is._

 

Hiram Lodge he can tackle. The bigger the problem the faster his mind always seems to piece together solutions. No problem was bigger than a problem that needed justice.

 

_Damn it why did I forget my laptop?_

 

He needs to research. He finds himself missing Betty. This is where they would partner up and solve the mystery. He feels a stab of hurt realizing how much Archie had been her partner in crime solving the Black Hood mystery. He thinks of enlisting Veronica to be his partner but quickly realizes he can’t rope her into investigating her own father. She might be in deeper with her father than he even knows. He saw the guilt written all over her face at her confession and how she seemed to want to divulge more. He’s the perfect example that despite adamant protest sometimes ending up like your parents is inevitable.

 

He makes a note of how his troubles keep bleeding into each other. He also makes a note to try not to hold Veronica’s allegiance to her father or any future implications against her. He’s been through the whole sins of the father ordeal and to be fair she had given him adequate warning. She would be Switzerland. It dawns on him however that by protecting his family he might have to destroy hers.

 

The smell of fresh cheeseburgers catches Jughead’s attention and as pops approaches with his tray of food. He salivates and feels his whole day brighten up just a bit. His thoughts had already begun to show some signs of progression, now with the proper nutrition he had no doubt he would be ready to deal with everything the universe seemed intent on throwing at him.

 

He is exactly two and a half cheeseburgers in when the universe decides to take him up on the challenge.

 

“Thanks for meeting me. I thought it would take at least a week.” Says Archie’s voice from behind him towards the entrance. Jughead tenses involuntarily. He knows it’s Veronica Archie is with. He can feel her behind him like all of his senses are acutely attuned to her.

 

_That didn’t take long_  , he thinks as he feels his heart drop just the slightest.

 

He hopes against all hopes they pick to sit anywhere but near him. He dares to hope even further that they are not clued in to his presence.

 

“We can’t avoid each other forever Archie. Best to put this behind us and move forward onto our respective lives.” Veronica answers.

 

Jughead has to fight the temptation to look back and steal a glance.

 

“That sounds fancy for I’m breaking up with you.” Archie says in what sounds like an attempt at a joke but comes off as unsure and dimwitted.

 

Jughead is fully aware he is eavesdropping and he’s okay with that. He is used to making sure he goes unnoticed and observing from the shadows and he attempts to do such again as Veronica’s words are on replay in his mind. His hands itch to type them on a word document. He settles for his phone. One week has never felt so far away.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The Southside is my problem Veronica. Your father is my problem.” Jughead snaps glaring at her with defiant eyes that she knows all too well. Eyes so much more harsher than the ones that looked at her in wonder and lust just hours ago.
> 
> Veronica inhales sharply at that.
> 
> “I was sitting here wondering what the hell I’m going to do about it all. I’ve prioritized and right now Betty is not at the top of that list.”

Archie is going on with his explanation and apologies, but Veronica just can’t bring herself to care. She’s still too raw with anger and hurt. With the exception that Betty is in turmoil about her  _dark side_  and terrified of her brothers intentions. She makes a note to herself to have a talk with Betty when she’s no longer angry, however long that will take. Her eyes are on the back of a grey beanie and she wonders at the thoughts hidden underneath that beanie.

 

She thinks Jughead must of heard them come in but he hasn’t even spared a glance their way. He’s pretty deep into thought and she has a brief flash of curiosity if he’s thinking about her. Most likely he’s thinking of the betrayal comited by the red head in front of her. She can’t get her and Jugheads brief dalliance out of her mind.  _One week_. She wonders if she will manage to forgive Archie in that space of time. The fire of resentment burning in the pit of her stomach says no.

 

She knows Jughead more than likely expects her to absolve Archie of his sins pretty quickly but she is not so sure. Archie had made a big impression on her father and had begun a decent into the family business which made her start to realize sometimes light had sharp edges too. Her and Jughead seem to simply be casualties in Archie and Betty’s dance with darkness. But they’re angels they don’t live in that darkness with her and Jughead.

 

Jughead had told her he was pulling Betty into his darkness and Veronica knows she has been dragging Archie into hers. All the happenings in Riverdale play a role she is sure. Their is a vast undercurrent of darkness and evil in the small town brought into even more focus by Jughead and his article about the treacherous general Pick-hisface . Now they were about her father and his motives. It had been blatantly obvious he had a pull on the mayor and she wonders if Jughead will figure it out.

 

_Most likely._

 

She knows she is on the ethically wrong side but Jughead has told her it’s understandable to be in your fathers shadow. However hers cast such a strong one. That same shadow is now trying to swallow up one of her ........  _friends?_

 

“Ronnie are you with me?” Archie ask.

 

“ Yeah.” She replies “But I need time Archie.”

 

“How much time? I’ll give you some space if you really need it.” He says dejectedly.

 

_Of course I need space you fucking idiot!_ Veronica bites down her tongue to keep the words from spilling as she closes her eyes to temper down her ire _. One week_ , she thinks bitterly. She thinksof the pain Archie would feel knowing she let his best friend explore every inch of her body and all out of spite.

 

“I don’t know but, we might want to refrain from informing Daddy of our intermission if it is just that . I don’t want you two at each other’s throats again.” She says honestly feeling the ice in her veins chilling every muscle in her body until every inch of her being is screaming indifference.

 

She wonders how her father would react to seeing her in love with Jughead. His tantrum would be epic considering the Serpents protest and the article Jughead had written, not to mention the brewing war the Jones And Lodge families were sure to be taking place in despite her fathers gift horse. Her father had already responded bad to Archie, Jughead would be oh so much worse. She can’t help smiling at that. It would never happen , but her and Jughead as a surprisingly more twisted modern day Romeo and Juliet sounded amusing. She shakes the absurd fantasy out of her head which she knows Archie has noticed.

 

“Ronnie are you okay?” Archie ask from across her. He’s looking into her eyes so intently and honestly, She feels a tinge of guilt. Then it’s so much guilt as she thinks of this morning. The feeling is almost more consuming than the scorn,  _almost_. Maybe Jughead had the right idea to wait a week. If they’d gone all the way the guilt would have been that much worse. It sucks not being able to take the high road and sit on the highest of horses.

 

She finds herself wishing she was in the other booth on the other side of Pops diner not having this conversation at all. Maybe she should have spent the whole day with Jughead and avoided real life for a little while.

 

“Archie I have a lot going on, honestly you just added an absurd amount of unnecessary pain to it. I do need time but, but it’s really not about you.” She finds herself being eerily honest with Archie and Herself repeating Jughead’s sentiments.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that it even happened and that I hurt you. But everything else? You can always talk to me Ronnie.” He says “About whatever.” He reaches for her hand and for some reason she jumps back from him on an abnormal reflex.

 

She’s puzzled at herself and Archie looks like she smashed in his guitar and burned his lettermen jacket.

 

Pops chooses that moment to come take their order. Veronica is grateful for small miracles because she has no idea what to say or do.

 

“I’m actually just gonna go.” Archie says and Veronica isn’t sure who’s he’s directing that towards, but it sounds like a good idea nonetheless.

 

Pops looks at her puzzled as Archie storms off. She gives him a half smile that feels more like a grimace. It’s pointless trying to mask any emotions at this point, she’s an open book.

 

“Whatever he ordered.” She points at Jughead.

 

“All of it?” Pops ask.

 

“Absolutely.” She gives him a slightly more genuine smile as she exits the booth and walks towards Jughead throwing Pops another smile over her shoulder.

 

“I’ll be over here.” She calls.

 

Jughead finally looks at her right as she reaches his booth. She slides into the booth across from him as he puts his phone on the table. Neither of them smiles, instead both of their faces are in complete neutrality but there is a silent acknowledgment of a secret being shared between them that can’t just be her imagination.

 

She grabs at one of his onion rings and his eyes narrow slightly but he doesn’t make a move to stop her. She laughs at that and breaks whatever brief competition of nonchalance they were holding. Her world feels off balance knowing this self crowned outcast has seen her naked.

 

“So how much did you hear?” She ask before biting into the lukewarm batter covered onion.

 

“Does it matter?” He answers holding up his demeanor of indifference like he hadn’t had his tongue between her legs only hours ago.

 

She finds him slightly irritating like she usually does and it helps settle the nerves that begun stirring the moment their eyes met. She hopes whatever effect he’s having on her will be short lived, at least the part that makes her feel vulnerable and raw.

 

She wants to know what about him makes her feel that way. She thinks maybe it’s the way he sees her. He’s always looked at her with eyes that seemed to bore into her soul judging the deepest parts of her that no other person seems to notice. That was the reason his remarks about her personality or lifestyle cut so deep, he seemed to see the real her and point out the flaws that she tried so hard to hide away. He sees her the same way she sees him, with all the parts of him he protects from the harsh world they live in. They were born on opposite sides of the track almost literally, yet their similarities are alarming. Their souls are almost two sides of the same broken mirror and you can’t hide from a mirror no matter how many cracks you put in it.

 

“Your inability to answer such an elementary inquiry speaks volumes to your guilt.” She fires.

 

“I’m guilty for a lot of things Ronnie.” He shoots back effortlessly.

 

She’s uncertain if the nickname is an insult, a form of flirtation, or a natural instinct. She goes with the first assumption but her body reacts to the second as she feels the stirrings of arousal.

 

Pops arrives with a tray of food and Veronica is ashamed by the fact that she is surprised how much food Jughead had apparently scarfed down already. She should have known better than to unknowingly duplicate one of his absurd orders. All he had left we’re some cold onion rings which means he had already eaten everything pops had just laid on the table and he’d been here awhile.

 

“You said all of it.” Pops reminds her.

 

She laughs and says “of course I did.”

 

“A woman after my own heart.” Jughead finally says something with at least a sliver of emotion and of course it’s about food.

 

“Just another one of your sins.” She tells him with a hint of deviousness in her voice.

 

He looks caught off guard by her comment and it makes her grin.

 

“I’ll bear that cross.” He replies sounding only slightly irritated and open to politeness and she knows it is under the condition of food , which she had already figured would be the cost.

 

 

Pops leaves them with one of his smiles that always hints that he knows way too much.

 

“So you’re dodging the question.” She says.

 

“Says the girl that was dodging her phone all morning.” He tells her grabbing at some of her fresh onion rings. She slaps his hand then places a cheeseburger in front of him.

 

“Clearly I didn’t do too much dodging. I was just with Archie.” She says “ How’s Betty by the way?” She ask with a sweetness dripping of sarcasm.

 

“I’m pretty sure Archie already provided that answer.” He replies.

 

“She needs you right now Jughead from everything Archie was saying.” She takes a moment to ground the conversation. No matter her feelings at the moment she will always care about Betty’s well being and she knows Jughead will too.

 

“She has a brother now.” He answers. “And She has Archie, she’s always had Archie.” He says with barely veiled bitterness.

 

“Anyone with a brain knows problem solver, Archie Andrews is not. And her brother sounds like the worst news on the Best day.”

 

“You have no idea , but she’s not my problem anymore.” Jughead tells her as he takes a bite out of the burger she gave him.

 

He sounds as defeated as Archie a few minutes ago.

 

“what is your problem then?” Veronica ask with a little bite, because she needs Jughead to be there for Betty because she cannot be right now.

 

“The Southside is my problem Veronica. Your father is my problem.” Jughead snaps glaring at her with defiant eyes that she knows all too well. Eyes so much more harsher than the ones that looked at her in wonder and lust just hours ago.

 

Veronica inhales sharply at that.

 

“I was sitting here wondering what the hell I’m going to do about it all. I’ve prioritized and right now Betty is not at the top of that list.”

 

“Jughea-“ She begins.

 

“No Veronica I don’t think you get the gist of this. They are running us out of town ,out of our God damn side of town, the side they stuck us in isn’t even enough anymore. You know damn well your father does not want to help us and he now has the power to do with our home as he pleases. Even after everything they’ve done to our people before this. People were massacred where they slept, so sorry that right now Betty’s little dance with the dark side isn’t exactly on the top of my to do list anymore.” Veronica sees the hurt, anger, and resentment in his eyes. She can’t help but feel it’s directed at her. She’s been playing a role in it this whole time after all. She had never given so much thought as to what exactly was being done to the Southsiders. Daddy’s business was just business. She had no choice but to play dutiful daughter.

 

“I’ve been homeless before I will not let it happen to any of my people as long as there is breath in this body.” He tells her before getting up and walking right out of pops. It’s similar yet different to how she had left him just that morning. At a loss for words and too stunned to follow.

 

He hadn’t even touched any of the food after she tried to push the Betty subject. She watches him from the window as he hops onto his bike and shoots off down the road, down to the Southside.

 

She feels a stray tear rolling down her cheek. It’s not about Archie at all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the snake on his back has its tail wrapped around his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The marathon continues. Hope you enjoy the ride. All love Always.

Jughead speeds down the road heading South. He’s going top speed with no helmet and no fucks. He passed Southside Riverdale awhile ago but he’s not ready to stop. He wants to be as Lost as he feels. 

 

The world is crashing in on him. His emotions are too much too reign in. He’s pissed. He’s throughly pissed, has been his whole life if he really thinks about it.

 

In a moment of self pity in epic proportions he thinks about how life has never been fair to him. He wonders if it will ever be. He’s so mad and so broken and he can’t begin to piece himself together right now. He cannot direct his anger because it’s all consuming and it overpowers everything in its wake. 

 

Jughead feels something he doesn’t believe he’s ever truly felt. 

 

Hate . 

 

He never knew hatred could be so pure , but it is. His hate has no solid place of dwelling. He’s not sure if he hates Riverdale, the world, his life, or himself in general. Had he done something to bring all of this on in a past life? 

 

The part that hurts the most is he cannot bring himself to hate all the things his mind tells him he should. 

 

Riverdale. Northsiders. Archie. Betty. His Parents, both of them. Veronica. 

 

Instead he focuses that hate inward into a deep abyss of self loathing. It suffocates him. Sometimes the snake on his back has its tail wrapped around his throat. 

 

So much corruption and greed. It’s everywhere it’s in everyone. He’s always been so passive. He’s tired of being passive. He’s tired of letting things happen to him andhappen around him. He has no idea how to take control. Joining the Serpents had been a step, butnow it was also making him feel more helpless than ever especially after being put on probation for trying to help. Now he had a group behind him that he also felt helpless to save. What he’d done to Penny had cost him something deep within himself. He’d always had darkness but it had never been violent or malevolent. The part that scares him the most is how much a part of him liked what he did to Penny. 

 

He remembers his hand wrapped around Veronica’s throat. He had felt in control then. The image runs through his mind unbidden. He had put just enough pressure to be imposing but not enough to cause her harm. He would like to say he doesn’t know where the impulse had come from but he knows exactly where. Veronica becomes her father and he imagines his hands around Hiram Lodges neck. The image dies out as Jughead concedes he isn’t a murderer.  Not yet ,However he does need to take control of the situation he cannot run forever. 

 

How desperate does one have to become to result to such measures? How far down the rabbit hole was he willing to explore? 

 

Jughead stops his bike on the side of the road where there is a break in the trees and he can overlook the Forrest down the hill. He sits sideways on his motorcycle and lets his mind go blank as he takes in the vast space of green. 

 

_How easy to be a tree it must be._

 

The anger and hate festering in him breaks the surface and he screams his pain into the green abyss of forest. He has an aim now. He wants to shoot back to Riverdale in a trail of fury. He’s done being passive. He’s done being trampled over. He’s done having things taken from him. He’s tired of the panic always residing in him that they might be trying to take his father again, but he uses it to fuel his rage. Finally after a day of mental blocks plans begin forming in his mind. He knows what has to be done. He has to embrace the dark, all of it. His father had done it to protect the serpents before it was his turn now. Hiram had embraced it to stretch his pockets and his influence , he had to turn it against him now.Hiram was born in the Northside , he was like Archie . Hiram could dance with the darkness all he wanted but he hadn’t been born into it. Jughead needs to show Hiram Lodge that dancing with the darkness would always catch up. The song would always end and sometimes the light never came back. 

 

Jughead started his bike back up and shot off back towards Riverdale. He pushed his bike as fast as he could shifting gears. He felt weightless as he sped through the empty lane. 

 

A slight drizzle of rain had begun accompanied by the roll of thunder. Jughead felt it was his vengeance come to life. The rain begun to pour harder and he had yet to slow down he felt his pulse pick up as the hatred surged through his veins. He felt like a cobra poised to strike. The venom rose to the surface and all he had to do was strike his target. 

 

_Burn the script. Burn it all_. 

 

Jughead knew then that if Riverdale wanted to burn the Southside down he would make sure the Northside got caught in the flames too. 

 

It also occurs to him then all the hardship his father must have faced. He now knew the pressure of leading a group against the world in the worst of circumstances. It had driven Jughead to the dark side so he could not help but understand his fathers own downward spiral into the bottle. 

 

To think Jughead was only leading the younger serpents not even the gang as a whole. His father needed more credit. He would give his father that credit just as the rest of Southside did. He would help wherever he could whenever he could. They jokingly called him the serpent prince a title he hated because he had never felt like any type of royalty, but he would take up the mantle to save his home. He would be as bad as he had to be. He would destroy Riverdale if it would send the message. 

 

_THE SOUTHSIDE IS OFF LIMITS_

 

Jughead’s body reacted before his mind even registered what was happening. 

 

A flash of light and the sound of a cars horn blared through his mind. Jughead’s body tensed as he shielded his face in the brief half a second betweenlosing his balance and falling off. His tires slipped on the rain drenched pavement. He slammed into the ground so hard he felt his bones shatter right before everything went black.He glided hard across the rough road.Thankfully he had instinctively shielded his face with his arms forcing his shoulders to take the brunt of the force.

 

He slid off the road, his bike a few feet away from his body. The rain pored harder and lightning crackled as a screech of tires could be heard in the distance piercing the night as it fled the scene. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up , my health took a unfortunate turn and I found out I’m pretty much terminal at this point. I’ve always trusted that things happen the way they are supposed to so mentally I’m pretty okay after finding out but I’ve started something called dialysis and the whole things taken a lot out of me but I didn’t and I’m not stopping this fic it’s one of the dew things that keep me above water. I just wanted to warn that updates might not be the most consistent as I’m almost never in front of a computer anymore but I’ve decided to compensate by writing longer chapters and maybe trying multiple point of views per chapter instead of 1. Any advice or criticism is appreciated. I’m also going to try updating from my phone for now on so I won’t have to wait to get to a computer. This chapter was the first example let me know if the format did not come out readable.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FP regarded her with a slight glare that reminded her of Jughead so much it sent a chill down her spine. Then his features softened and he nodded before giving her a sad soft smile that also reminded her of his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the positive energy, you all are amazing. The Marathon continues

Veronica sits in her bed , legs crossed with her phone going off in front of her in rapid succession. It flips from Archie to Betty calls integrating with text.

 

She understands why Betty is still harassing her but she had already spoken with Archie and figured they wouldn’t be saying much to each other for awhile after that particular run in. She finds the only person missing from her barrage of missed calls and texts is the only person she actually , _kind of just a little_ , wants to hear from. She shouldn’t want to but.....

 

_Jughead Jones._

 

**_“The Third.”_**  His annoying voice corrects in her mind.

 

After almost an hour of ghosting Veronica decides to distract herself with a good movie if she can find one in this era of modern day television. She flips on her TV set and the first thing that flashes before her eyes is the sight of a very familiar motorcycle. One she was sure she’d been on less then 24 hours ago. It was a wreck.

 

She reads the news line “Teenage boy in critical condition after motorcycle accident. Foul play suspected.”

 

Veronica feels her heart jump out of her chest and she immediately picks up whoever is calling at that specific moment.

 

“Veronica ? Please- I’m so sorry but Juggie he’s hurt , he’s hurt really bad an- “ Betty hiccups between sobs “And I need you, please come.”

 

“I’m on my way.” Veronica tells her without hesitation. She’d already begun pulling on a discarded skirt the moment she saw the news flash. She knew she was headed there more for Jughead and less for Betty but she would be there for Betty nonetheless.

 

She hated the way her and Jughead had ended things the last time they spoke only a few hours earlier and she had wanted so badly to make things right with him. The thought that she might not get that chance struck her hard and a tear slipped from her despite her efforts to stay strong. This was the second tear she’d shed for Jughead that day.

 

As she grabs her purse her mother walks into the room.

 

“Mija , I just heard.” Hermione exclaims.

 

Veronica can feel the lack of sincerity in her mother’s voice down to her soul and the dark thought occurs that her parents could have something to do with this. She feels a part of herself wanting to lash out , that if they had hurt Jughead they would pay. The bigger part of her knows she has to stay in line. She’s a Lodge and it’s family first. Jughead isn’t family, he’s barely a friend.

 

What Jughead is infallibly however, is a pureness surrounded in darkness and this odd connection they’ve formed speaks to her heart. She tries to swallow the guilt , she had warned him and he knew her loyalty had to remain to her family. The thoughts swarm around in her mind and the conflict just causes the shattered pieces of her heart to break all the more.

 

“Mija it will be okay.” Her mother attempts to comfort her unaware of the true nature of her tears. She’s not crying because Jughead is hurt she’s crying because she’s slowly losing hope in her parents, maybe even herself.

 

Veronica spots her father lingering in her doorway with his empty attempt at a sympathetic face.

 

“It’s such a tragic accident to occur to such a young boy. Those motorcycles they can be quite dangerous.” He says voice holding a hint of remorse. “I understand why you wold want to check on him and the rest of your friends, I’m sure Archie is beside himself. The car is waiting for you downstairs, tell FP the Lodges send their regards.” He takes a sip from the small glass he holds in his hand so casually it makes Veronica psychically ill. She is realizing how far her father is willing to go. Jughead May be in a gang but he is not a mobster, she cannot believe her father would resort to those tactics and with someone she is connected to and often with.

 

Veronica nods and makes a swift exit. She cannot shake the feeling her father wants her to visit Jughead because it would save face for the Lodges. They would use her ties to Jughead to pretend the Lodges have an intimate connection to him. They would use her as part of their alibi. There would always be a shadow of a doubt on motive because they would never hurt one of their daughters dear friends.

 

There is a storm outside coloring the town in dark rain and lightning. It seems to represent her life at the moment . Immediately upon arrival at Riverdale General Veronica is embraced with the site of motorcycles scattered around the parking lot. She walks into Riverdale general in a fury of sharp heels slapping the ground. She looks at the receptionist.

 

“Jughead Jones.” She demands pulling together her facade of bravado and command. She slips on her mask as easily as her father does his. No one will know how broken she feels inside.

 

“The only Jones we have in is a Forsyt- “ She hardly waits to hear the name before she impatiently tells the nurse “Yes, that one.” She gets the directions and storms into a hallway leading to the ER wing. As she turns the corner she’s confronted with dozens of snakes snarling at her accompanied with the smell of smoke and cheap beer.

 

_The Serpents, Jugheads family_.

 

Veronica forgets that The Serpents are not Jugheads gang. When she thinks Serpents she thinks the small pack that always follows Jughead around. Toni , Sweetpea, Fangs, and the others. She is reminded in this moment that they are simply the younger members of a larger body. There are about thirty men and a few women too in Serpent Jackets that she’s never seen before.

 

_Daddy’s enemies_

 

Veronica takes a deep breath and steels herself before pushing through the throng of large men taking up a great deal of space in the small waiting room. She’s greeted with the sight of FP Jones in the front of the brood. He’s in his pops uniform but he’s donned his Serpent jacket as well which makes for an odd and contrasting site to Veronica.

 

“We’re not going anywhere until my boy opens his god damn eyes! ” FP yelled at a poor nurse unluckily enough to be tasked with speaking to the family.

 

“Please Mr.Jones we’re doing everything we can you just have to give the doctors some time and some space.” The petit blonde pleaded as FP towered over her.

 

“We will be right here Darlin, while you do what you need to do, save my boy.” FP demanded while Veronica witnesses the lone tear slip from his eye that he quickly wipes away.

 

“Mr. Jones.” Veronica spoke softly. “Jughead is strong , maybe the strongest person I know, he will be okay. Maybe we should let the staff do their jobs so they can help him through this.” Feeling the weight of the truth in that statement on her tongue.

 

FP regarded her with a slight glare that reminded her of Jughead so much it sent a chill down her spine. Then his features softened and he nodded before giving her a sad soft smile that also reminded her of his son. She has another dawning of how much Jughead resembles his father all tall, dark and handsome with the weight of the world on their shoulders.

 

Veronica finally lets herself take in Archie to the right corner of the waiting room with Betty sobbing into his shoulder. She ignores the sharp stab of hurt.

 

She walks down to them pushing down all of her lingering feelings of conflict aside.

 

_Not about angles_ , she reminds herself.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You found me.” Veronica says. Jughead turns around and she’s sitting on the swings swaying herself back and fourth slowly.“I wasn’t looking for you.” Says Jughead.

Jughead stares into her eyes. She’s so beautiful. He always felt she was so out of reach. In this moment however she isn’t. Elizabeth Cooper had been the girl of his dreams since before he ever knew what to dream for.  
  
Jughead had submitted to the fact that Betty was never meant to be his when he was only eleven. Even in those juvenile days of their purest youth it was clear to him that Betty and Archie just seemed meant to be. That left him the odd man out in their trio. He was and would always be the odd man out.  
  
By some stroke of luck and chance though, Betty ended up in his arms. Here she was sitting across from him at a booth in pops. Her eyes sparkled and spoke of love and a happiness Jughead could feel in the core of his being.  
  
Betty’s hand was wrapped tightly around his as if she were trying to squeeze some of that happiness into him. The sun radiated off of her through the windows in the diner and her smile radiated that brightness back at him. Dreams do come true even against all odds.  
  
Jughead feels a swell of joy in his heart and he squeezes Betty’s hand back to assure her he is just as happy as she is. She leans across the booth and he inches forward to meet her in the middle in the Sweetest kiss. She taste like Vanilla and Bubblegum, a sweet mixture of her shake and her lip gloss.  
  
“I love you Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third.” She says just loud enough for him to hear. “ I will always love you.”  
  
Something feels off.  
  
Jughead knits his brows at Betty, wondering why she would use his government name.  
  
He then takes in her appearance noticing for the first time that she’s dressed in an all black dress. The black is an odd color for Betty and she looks like she’s about to attend a funeral. Before Jughead can give it too much thought. Archie strolls into the diner in a black suit and slides into the booth next to Betty.  
  
Something feels really off.  
  
“Hey B.” He says smiling at Betty in a way that makes Jughead’s stomach turn.  
  
She returns his smile.  
  
“Hey Arch.”  
  
She leans in and kisses Archie on the lips and Jughead feels his heart plummet .  
  
Betty looks back at him and her smile is gone. She looks as hurt as he feels.  
  
“You were supposed to come back to me Jughead !” She yells at him as she begins to sob. Archie pulls her into him and anger surges through Jughead’s veins like Venom.  
  
“I never left !” He shouts at her.  
  
He’s alone at pops in the booth by himself. Tears streak his face as he cries alone.  
  
“I never left.” He whispers to no one.  
  
“Yes you did. You left me all alone.”  
  
Jughead looks up and he’s sitting on the front steps of his trailer home.  
  
His younger sister Jellybean glares at him with angry accusatory eyes.  
  
“I didn’t JB , you left me.” Jughead tries to pull himself together in front of his little sister.  
  
“Not then Jughead, now.” She whines like the little girl he remembers from before his mother took off.  
  
Jughead is confused. He feels like he’s missing a big part to an even bigger puzzle.  
  
“Don’t leave Jughead ! Don’t leave !” Jellybean screams as he realizes she too is dressed for a funeral then suddenly he’s falling.  
  
He falls into the darkness that birthed him. He’s so lost and he’s confused and he’s hurting. Everything hurts. He’s alone, something he should be used to by now.  
  
“I’m alone too.” Says the voice of Veronica Lodge.  
  
Jughead can hear her but he cannot see her in the darkness. She sounds so sad. She sounds broken just like he’s broken. He wonders if she hurts everywhere like he hurts everywhere. He just wants to stop feeling. He wants the darkness to swallow him whole because that feels like the only way to be free of it.  
  
“Jughead !”  
  
Jughead wakes with a start. He’s in the Whyt Wyrm and Sweetpea is laughing at him along with a few of the others. Toni’s holding his hand and it gives him a weird feeling in his gut that reminds him of the dream he was just having. He looks into her eyes and sees sadness. She’s wearing a short all black dress that could pass for funeral attire and he feels a slight panic before remembering short Black dresses aren’t all that odd for Toni to be wearing.  
  
“Toni ?” Jughead ask.  
  
“Yeah Jug?”  
  
“How did I get to the Wrym?” He ask in a rushed tone hoping this isn’t another part of the nightmare.  
  
Sweetpea leans down and clasps Jughead on the shoulder looking him into his eyes with a somber expression making his blood run cold.  
  
“You’re not at the Wrym Jones.” He states.  
  
Jughead looks to all of his friends but their faces begin to blur. A face appears in the crowd clear as day. The one face that shouldn’t be there.  
  
Hiram Lodge.  
  
Jughead tries to stand and chase him down but his legs won’t work. Hiram smiles at him and winks before turning and walking out of the Southside bar.  
  
“Lodge wait !” Jughead screams as loud as he can.  
  
He finds the strength to get up and run after Hiram but his exit is blocked off by his father.  
  
“Stop chasing demons boy.” FP says gruffly to his son.  
  
“Dad move.” Says Jughead. “I have to find out what Hiram is doing on the Southside.”  
  
“You leave that fight to someone else son.” His father tells him with an air of authority.   
  
“If I don’t fight him no one else will, no one else cares.” Jughead tells his father in a defeated voice dropping his head.  
  
“You don’t know what it will cost you.” FP says hauntingly.  
  
“I’ll pay it, whatever it is.” Jughead states then pushes past the older Jones, shoulders bumping.  
  
Jughead walks out the Wrym and is standing outside on a small playground. He recognizes it as the playground he, Betty, and Archie played on as children.  
  
“You found me.” Veronica says.  
  
Jughead turns around and she’s sitting on the swings swaying herself back and fourth slowly.  
  
“I wasn’t looking for you.” Says Jughead. He’s upset he’s found the wrong Lodge but he takes a seat on the swing beside her regardless.  
  
“No you were looking for yourself.” She states.  
  
“Then why did I find you?” He asks feeling the truth in her statement. He’s been trying to find himself his whole life.  
  
“Because we’re the same , you and I Jones .” She answers with a soft smile and a wink.  
  
“I refuse to believe I could find myself in a Lodge.” Jughead spits but with little heat.  
  
Veronica just chuckles. He finds himself smiling with her.  
  
“When did we become friends again?” Jughead asks.  
  
She doesn’t answer so he turns to look at her and she’s staring at him in horror.  
  
“Jughead you’re bleeding.” She says with concern.  
  
He looks down and sees he’s perfectly fine.  
  
“No I’m not.” He tells her , but as soon as the words are out of his mouth he’s coughing up blood and all the pain is back.  
  
Jughead is suddenly terrified that he in fact is dying. The crazy thing is he’s never been scared of dying before. He can’t help the tears that fall.  
  
“Veronica I’m scared.” He confessed with a mouthful of blood.  
  
His vision blurs but he feels her hands over his.  
  
“Jughead focus on me.” She tells him.  
  
His vision blurs to the point that he only sees red.  
  
“Jughead focus on me.” This time it’s Betty’s voice and she sounds scared too.  
  
“No.” Jughead tells her pulling his hands away. He’s cold but he doesn’t want any of Betty’s warmth. She brings with her another type of pain that Jughead can’t process at the moment.  
  
“You left me. “ he tells her.  
  
“Everyone leaves me.” He whispers to himself.  
  
He hears his mothers voice firm and cold in the distance “It’s best if you don’t come here Jughead.”  
  
“Because you’re always in the way Jones.” Says Hiram standing too close.  
  
Jughead tries his best to see past the red and see Hiram but he can’t. The pain is too much.  
  
“Do you know how I handle obstacles Mr.Jones ?” Hiram asks.  
  
Then it all comes back to him. A flash of headlights and a slip of his bike in the rain.  
  
“With fatal intentions.” Says Veronica sadly.  
  
Jughead feels the air leave his lungs as he relives the moment he hit the pavement. He knows without a shadow of a doubt he’s dying and Hiram Lodge is the reason.  
  
There’s an annoying beep going off and Jughead can’t tell where it comes from as he fights for breath but he wants it to stop. People are shouting all around him.  
  
“Jughead please wake up.” Veronica begs and he feels her hands over his. Is he still dreaming ?  
  
“Save my boy!” FP is yelling.  
  
Jughead feels so cold.  
  
“Dad be quiet.” Jughead manages to whisper as the pain fades around the edges.  
  
“What’s happening?” He hears Betty ask. She sounds like she’s crying.  
  
“Betty don’t cry.” He whispers to her.  
  
He’s falling and he feels the cold darkness grip him. He’s aware he’s not breathing but it doesn’t hurt and he doesn’t need the air. He’s aware his body is in a lot of pain but he doesn’t feel it.  
  
He feels his worry about Hiram slipping as he loses will power. He’s tired and he wants to sleep. He wants to let go of everything , he’s so tired of fighting. He’s tired of being the only one fighting, all it’s ever gotten him was into trouble.  
  
Jellybean was right , he’s leaving her. He’s leaving FP and his mom. There will not be a fourth Forsythe. Maybe that isn’t a bad thing. He’s leaving Betty and Archie. They don’t need his shadows clouding their light. They deserve each other, he never deserved them. Hiram wins, the Lodges always seem to win. Even Veronica . She’s a Lodge and she’s somehow won a spot in his last thoughts, maybe even his heart. Damn her for that last part.  
  
Who’d figure the last girl he’d ever kiss would be Veronica Lodge. Is it poetic justice that her father probably had him murdered?  
  
He hadn’t even made up with Betty yet or heard her side of what happened. He would die with that regret because she was honestly quite obviously the love of his life even if he would never be hers.  
  
His heart broke for his father and he hoped this wouldn’t bring FP back to the bottle. He hoped the Serpents wouldn’t let The Southside go without a good fight, then again he wouldn’t want any of them on their deathbeds. He would die a thousand times if it meant none of them had to. Southsiders had suffered enough.  
  
“I’m sorry dad.” Jughead whispered hoping someone would hear him. “Tell Jellybean I’m sorry and that I didn’t want to leave her.”  
  
“Jughead you fight goddamnit !” FP yelled but everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy these chapters are up the next two chapters are the last two of what I call groundwork chapters. I cannot wait to get to the actual story I've been wanting to tell since season 2. The lake house episode made me ship Jeronica and Archie cutting the chains off Jughead in front of Soutside high sparked this story, I've been pissed at Archie since so in case it has not been obvious this fic is nowhere near Archie friendly, Betty may or may not get caught in the crossfire. I've finally gotten up to writing those parts and I'm excited. All love Always. see you very soon


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica feels how genuine Betty’s apology is and once again feels a swell of conflicting feelings. She’s happy to hear Betty’s words they help make her want to forgive because how could she not understand that feeling?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly but surely , The Marathon Continues.

Veronica sat next to Jughead’s hospital bed with Betty. It had been a week since his accident and he’d suffered through minor surgery. They had stopped the bleeding and fixed some bones from what she understood of it.

 

Three weeks.

 

That first promised week had come and gone. She wishes Jughead would wake up so she could tell him she’s waited and she’s sorry she was so inconsiderate during their last exchange. Her and Archie had failed to reconcile especially in the aftermath of Jughead’s accident. Everyone’s focus had been on comforting either Betty or FP. Veronica and Archie avoided each other simply by focusing on the people who were supposed to care most about Jughead.

 

_Accident_.

 

The Southsiders were positive Hiram Lodge had something to do with the accident. She felt their distrustful glances every time she was around them. She’s even heard some of them tell FP in hushed tones to not let her anywhere near Jughead alone.

 

Veronica was surprised when FP had found her that first night after everyone had been sent home to rest, and told her she was welcome to stay in Jugs room if she insisted on staying the night at the hospital . While she had not wanted to impose she was far from ready to go back to the Pembroke and see her parents. FP had seemed to understand.

 

The Jones men had the same talent for understanding and empathizing with others. Maybe that’s what led to both of them having the natural instinct of protecting and leading. Veronica found herself regretting not realizing that sooner. Jughead would never let go of this fight for the Southside and his father would back him to the end. She felt a little envious knowing his father had his back no matter the reason while the same was not true of hers.

 

She spent her nights holding Jughead’s hand firmly in hers trying to tether him to consciousness. She wanted him to wake up. Veronica read to him in Spanish sometimes sharing a part of herself she had yet to with anyone else in Riverdale. Other times she played movies that inspired her but would probably annoy Jughead awake.

 

Tonight, she sits across from Betty on the other side of Jughead’s bed each holding one of his hands. The doctors had no idea why but Jughead’s heart had stopped. He had been legally dead for four minutes. Four minutes that had left Veronica shaken. She could easily tell Betty was suffering the same and FP had almost lost his mind and most certainly lost his voice screaming at the staff.

 

It had taken more than a handful of the older Serpents to grab FP and escort him from the room at the doctors request. Betty could not stop crying and Veronica had no choice but to sit in the middle of the chaos and remain the level head and moral support for people who had either wronged her or blamed her for something out of her control. All while dealing with her conflicted feelings for the boy truly in the middle of it all.

 

Even as he laid there unconscious Veronica felt tied to him. They were both there in a room with their lives out of their own control through no fault of their own.

 

She kept hearing Jughead’s voice firmly assuring her

 

_“We’re not our fathers.”_

 

Veronica had been forced to temper down any feelings of hostility towards Betty. That left her no choice but to direct those feeling towards Archie. To the outside world everything was business as usual for Archie and her. Her parents had no idea they were on the outs. Archie would even be joining her family for dinner later in the week with his father Fred.

 

Hiram was trying everything in his power to convince everyone in the small town that he had nothing to do with Jughead’s accident and there was nothing to implicate him. Her father had told Archie and Fred that he had something to discuss with them. Veronica hadn’t been privy to what exactly that was but she could guess it had to do with his intentions for the Southside.

 

“He’s going to be alright right V?” asked Betty, her voice sounding indifferent and detached.

 

Veronica wanted to scream at Betty and shake her silly. Of course Jughead would not be alright. He was already far from alright both physically and emotionally. In large parts thanks to Betty Cooper. Jughead was an emotional wreck. One that had attempted to find some semblance of solace in between the legs of his enemy’s daughter.

 

He was a physical wreck because that enemy had likely set up an accident that would never have been possible if Jughead hadn’t been trying to escape his emotional distress by riding as far away as he could. Guilt crushed Veronica even more when she realized her driver might have alerted her father of Jughead’s departure from Pops which would have set all of this in motion.

 

Veronica knew she was part to blame and she could own up to that but it irritated her to no end to watch Betty play the victim in the whole ordeal. If Jughead was awake Veronica doubts he would want Betty at his bedside. If he was awake she wouldn’t be considered his girlfriend at the moment.

 

There is a small nagging voice reminding Veronica herself that she wouldn’t be welcome either. She also has to concede to herself that she too is not Jughead’s girlfriend. It is not a position she wants but it is one that her emotions and actions are exhibiting uncharacteristic traits of. She’s also heard the whispers asking why she seems to care about Jughead so much. She knows she needs to stop being so possessive, lest those secret tryst be outed. She needs to repress any and all lingering feelings and support Betty.

 

It just happens to be too hard for her after seeing Jughead in his trailer breaking down into underserving tears. She feels a part of her soul was bonded with his in that moment. They’d shared something a lot deeper than anger and lust.

 

She says the most honest words of comfort she has to give Betty in that moment.

 

“Jughead is stronger than any of us.”

 

The truth of those words seep into the air. Betty didn’t even need to confirm vocally her agreement, it was apparent in the silent strength that straightened out her shoulders and softened her face.

 

Jughead had to grow up and face the harshness of the world a lot sooner than any of them had. Veronica could see that now. Betty would probably never truly see it.

 

“Did your father do this Veronica?” Betty asks and looks at Veronica with eyes pleading for answers.

 

Veronica has also had to face the harshness of the world and she thinks maybe she’ll have to face more.

 

“I don’t know Betty.” She replies sullenly.

 

“I sincerely hope not.” She adds as an afterthought.

 

“I never said I’m sorry.” Betty stated eyes on Jughead.

 

For a second Veronica is unsure who the statement is directed at.

 

“To either of you.” Says Betty which clears up the confusion and simultaneously the leftover tension in Veronica.

 

While the apology feels good , because at the end of the day Betty is and will more than likely always be her bestfriend, it feels better to hear Jughead get one. Veronica has learned in the last week how much Jughead suffers in silence.

 

She can’t help but think about the fact that he had suffered the same heartbreak as her that night and he still did the comforting. The daughter of his sworn enemy. Veronica strongly shoves down the pinch of guilt in her side. She realizes that one week or not her and Jughead can simply never happen. She finds herself oddly regretting that fact.

 

“There’s no excuse V, but everything with Jughead feels so strained. The only time we’re not walking on eggshells is when we’re having sex or trying to solve every problem in Riverdale except the ones involving our relationship.”

 

Betty then looks at Veronica with eyes pleading to be understood.

 

“We never solve our problems together anymore. His crosses are his own to bear and mine are mine.”

 

Veronica understands that feeling. Her and Archie are,  _no were_ , moving in a similar direction. Her father was driving a wedge between them by making them keep his secrets from each other.

 

“I’m sorry but Archie reminds me of before , before I found the darker parts of myself and the darker parts of Riverdale. I let myself get caught up in letting him anchor me to a version of myself I’ve been losing for awhile now, I didn’t think about how it would hurt you.” Betty pauses and turns her gaze back to Jughead.

 

“Either of you. I cannot forgive myself let alone expect you to but you came here anyway and you were the bigger person when I needed you. You literally walked into a snakes pit to be here for me and I’m so sorry I might have ruined what we had forever.”

 

Veronica feels how genuine Betty’s apology is and once again feels a swell of conflicting feelings. She’s happy to hear Betty’s words they help make her want to forgive because how could she not understand that feeling? Had Archie not symbolized something so similar for her? A tether to the light of angels. Yet, there is irritation as well. Irritation that once again Betty has the ability to make this about her. Irritation that while Betty can clear her conscious and the world is righted , if Veronica were to do the same their core would shatter beyond repair. For the first time all week, and for all the wrong reasons, she feels regret for her brief tryst with the serpent.

 

From the moment she met Archie she knew he’d make a fun plaything. Riverdale did not have much to offer, but Archie was definitely it’s golden boy. Veronica’s instincts had made her yearn only for the best. Those same instincts had even made her give brief consideration to the likes of Chuck Clayton and Reggie Mantle.

 

_But Jughead_.

 

From the moment she had met Jughead she knew he sparked something deep inside her. She’s heard often that woman are attracted to men like their fathers. All of her life she had gone for the handsome men in the fine suits. Smiles like daggers, words like silk. Men who hid their evil behind piles of money. She thought those men were like her father . She had been wrong. Behind the undeniable hate for each other Hiram Lodge and Jughead Jones were opposite sides of the same coin.

 

They were made of the same stuff. They were both unyielding. They held an uncompromising passion. Her father would kill for what he wanted where Jughead would die for what he believed in. None of the boys from the fancy private schools with the best tutors that she spent time entertaining had the wits to keep up with her let alone be as cunning as her father. Yet Jughead’s wit had kept her on her toes since arriving to the small town and he had her father near blind rages challenging him at every turn even without the same resources.

 

Unlike Jughead her father was missing a heart, but their minds were another story. Jughead had the ability to stop her father because he had the ability to think like him. Veronica realizes Jughead represents the type of person she wishes her father would be. Intelligent , passionate , but caring and compassionate as well.

 

“I understand.” Says Veronica as she stands.

 

She leans down and presses a kiss to the side of Jughead’s jaw staining it with a print of dark purple lips.

 

“Just make sure he does.” She tells Betty as she exits. She needs to speak with her father.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this in large parts thanks to a writer who goes by Pembroke330. if I am lucky enough that you've read this thank you. I've never commented on your works (anxiety is a bitch) but this pairing spoke to me and I got a nagging idea of a story based on a conversation I could see these two having but I was not sure Jeronica was even a thing. I searched the tag and was pleasantly surprised to see it was not only a thing but kind of a big one and Pembroke330's works slowly gave me the push to actually make this a story and post it. Thanks too all who took the time to read the thoughts of a mad person about fictional characters. The main event in this story obviously differs greatly from canon and so will a few more chapters but it will tie into canon a lot more closely in upcoming chapters.


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